The Labor enquirer., 1887-01-08
The Unequal Battle for Exist
ence Forced Upon the
Many.
The Children Of Rich and Poor
Alike Victims to the Com. I.
petitive System.
Skilled Labor Has Been Replaced by
Machine Tenders, and Child.
hood Is Dead.

rrom Wofk anu WngoA
The wild man and the pioneer OF civ
ilixation are forced TO struggle against
the wild beast. against their immediate
enemies. and against nature or natural
obstructious to their progress. This
struggle calls forth elements Of heroism
and wonderful endurance. Often their
utmost efforts are rewarded with semi
starvation, and always with poverty. that
Is. lack Of he comforts Of civilization.
The struggle for life with which we have
to deal in this article is the struggle Of
the civilized races. -
As a rule, the pioneer and the savage
are endowed with great powers Of resist
anee BY the conditions Of birth and by
the necessities OF their environment.
Under civilization these qualities are
largely wanting. The child born In the
crowded tenement house, with but little,
II any, opportunities for the free exer-
cises which gives healthful tone TO the
physical man, and bv his surroundings
deprived Of the opportunities for attain.
ment Of mental exercises is poorly
equipped Tor his struggle for q living.
lie enters the wage labor class at an
early age. surrounded by temptations,
vice and crime; his very pleasures de-
basing, and his few hours Of leisure fur
nishing him only the opportunities Of
still further degradation. Iffhe looks
about him thoughtfully he will find
that those who seem to him TO receive
the largest amount Of pleasure are those
who obtain their livelihood bv other
methods than that Of productive indus.
try. To him, the life Of the criminal,
the sporting man. Is attrac i've, and the
chances are in favor Of his choosing that
form Of life.
five can imagine 4 boy Of this class
standing upon Broadway, New York,
looking in the windows where garnered
wealth Is displayed, or at the fashionably
dressed men and women who pass by
him. the inference that he would natur.
ally draw would be that the pleasures
Of life were obtained and held by those
who do no physical or manual labor.
The healthy.born country boy, strong
IN limb and mentally capable Of stand
ing his chance with his fellows, comes
into the great citias, or manufacturing
towns, as into anew world of brilliancy
and light. He finds that the respect
formerly shown him as the son { an
honest, industrial toiler. is changed for
the sneer and contempt OF the veal thy.
His hours Of labor ending, his leisure
finds him upon the streets. subject to
temptations OF which in his country
home he had no thought. He finds
that even the sharp, shrewd, uncrupu-
lous product Of the city tenements has u
certain superiority over bsttsr equipped
manhood. He is tricked and cheated
until he finds himself sharpened and
ready to play upon the new conner the
tricks that have been PLAYED upon him
self
The sop Of the millionaire, born into
class which arrogates to itself the title
of society,"" with all the opportunities
which wealth can afford for physical ex.
ercise and mental enjoyment, is raised
up with contempt for the avenues by
which his parents obtained the wealth
which Ia reserved for him TO enjoy or
dssipate.
The sons Of the wealthy and the sons
Of the poor are alike the victims Of the
competitive system Of labor. one force d
to overwork, the other forced to idleness'
With the former. work is degrading;
with the latter. idleness is considered
dshonorable.
In deal ing with the question Of the
struggle for life in civilized communi'
ties, we are forced TO consider the sys'
tenn under which that struggle is made.
The wage system to the wage worker Is
a asystem Of dependence, pauperizing in
It's Influences. The wage worker has for
sale his time and skill the payment for
his time will DO regulated bv the cnstom
Of his community. and the payment Of
hls skill will DO regulated bv the habits
and customs Of those who have like
skill.
The value ofskiil Is generally over
estimated, The man who has in a cet-
tain sense, u monopoly Of skill can COM
mand his own terms Of service, within
certain prescribed limits. The Young
man who enters an apprenticeship to
learn the mysteries Of some craft will
6nd, within a few years after reaching
hls nuorlty, thAt tno lhtrouucson VI
machinery interferes with the processes
production 10 such an extent as to
cause either a reduction in his wages,
or, at least to render his skill Of less
value. One by one the handicrafts are
disappearing, and apprentice ships no
longer necessity in a majority OF The
occupations in life.
The compositor, the tailor, the painter
and the cobbler are among the most no.
table instances OF the survival Of handi-
cram. The shoemakers have become
operatives.
1t Is true that while skill Id crafts is